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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/28349766">"I Love You"s</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/laurus_nobillis/pseuds/laurus_nobillis'>laurus_nobillis</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Voltron: Legendary Defender</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Angst, Blood, Death, F/M, Fluff, Lots of tears, TW: Blood, Vague Ending, and some angry words, implied character harm/injury, keith is upset about shiro, one of them is actually very cute and fluffy, sorry i made shiro cry, this stuff is OLD so be warned, tw: death, very very mild swearing, written before season 4 came out, you die btw</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-12-27</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-12-27</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-10 20:46:50</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>3</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>4,192</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/28349766</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/laurus_nobillis/pseuds/laurus_nobillis</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Times and places to say "I love you". </p>
<p>Based off of tumblr prompts.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Keith (Voltron)/Reader, Shiro (Voltron)/Reader</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>2</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>32</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Keith - Broken Glass</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>One of three drabbles I wrote as a response to prompts on my VLD blog many moons ago. </p>
<p>Prompt: “I love you”, 16. Over and over again, till it’s nothing but a senseless babble + 17. When the broken glass litters the floor</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    
<p></p><div class="">
  <p></p>
  <div class="hyZhC">
    <p></p>
    <div class="">
      <p></p>
      <div class="">
        <p></p>
        <div class="">
          <p>“We’re wasting time meeting with stupid dignitaries and leaders when we should be looking for Shiro.”</p>
        </div>
        <div class="">
          <p>You scoffed audibly as you crossed your arms over your chest, watching your boyfriend sulk against the kitchen counter. You two had been in a meeting with the other Paladins, Allura, and the leaders of recently liberated planets when Keith stormed out, with you following close behind.</p>
        </div>
        <div class="">
          <p>“You need to understand, Keith, this is part of the fight against Zarkon’s whole empire.” </p>
        </div>
        <div class="">
          <p>He rolled his eyes, mirroring your body position. “There’s no fight without Shiro.”</p>
        </div>
        <div class="">
          <p>“<em>Oh my god!</em>” He flinched as your voice rose. “We all miss him, we all want him back, but he wanted you to lead! It’s time to step up, for the good of the team.” It was obvious that you were exasperated, having been stuck in this argument for longer than you cared to admit. You imagined that the other Paladins were probably listening outside the door, if they hadn’t gotten tired of your bickering yet.</p>
        </div>
        <div class="">
          <p>“I already told you, I’m not replacing Shiro, I can’t!” Keith’s voice rose in level to match yours. “I know the black lion chose me but, I don’t know, maybe it’s wrong?” </p>
        </div>
        <div class="">
          <p>You reached out to pick up a glass that had been left out on the counter, wanting to keep your hands busy. “I highly doubt that the weird magic space lions are wrong about choosing you.” You weren’t proud of your sneering tone, but at this rate you didn’t care. He needed to see your point eventually. </p>
        </div>
        <div class="">
          <p>“You don’t even-” he barked incredulously, “you don’t even understand how Voltron or the lions work! They aren’t weird space magic.” He looked hurt by your comment. “Shiro is the original black paladin, it should be him leading the team.”</p>
        </div>
        <div class="">
          <p>“Well, technically, wasn’t Zarkon the original black paladin?” </p>
        </div>
        <div class="">
          <p>Why? Why did you have to say that? Why did you always have to have the last word? Keith looked at you, violet eyes wide. </p>
        </div>
        <div class="">
          <p>“Are you <em>kidding</em> me?!”</p>
        </div>
        <div class="">
          <p>“All I meant-” you began, but you were cut off.</p>
        </div>
        <div class="">
          <p>“It doesn’t matter what you meant. You’re not listening to me anyway!” </p>
        </div>
        <div class="">
          <p>“Keith, <em>you’re</em> not listening to <em>me</em>! Or anyone else for that matter!” You clutched the glass tighter, taking a step closer to Keith. He took an awkward step back. </p>
        </div>
        <div class="">
          <p>“Do you even care that Shiro’s gone? Or are you just going to leave me, too?” </p>
        </div>
        <div class="">
          <p>It was a gut reaction, slamming the glass into the counter. The bottom shattered and you stood there, holding the jagged remains of the top of the glass.  </p>
        </div>
        <div class="">
          <p>“God dammit.” You stepped back, dropping the top of the glass next to the broken bottom. “Keith, I love you, but you’re being an ass.” You didn’t make eye contact with him as you said it, trying to gather up the pieces of broken glass. In your mind, the fight was over, you both were being stupid and bullheaded, and now you had a mess to clean up; actually, a couple of messes to clean up. </p>
        </div>
        <div class="">
          <p>Keith watched the scene with wide eyes, expression changing from shock to horror when you spoke. Yes, breaking the glass was a surprise, but you admitting you loved him was a much bigger one. The two of you hadn’t really gotten to that point in the relationship yet, and with everything happening since Shiro’s disappearance, there wasn’t a great opportunity to bring it up. It added up to be quite a bit more than the poor boy could handle, still feeling the raw sting of bickering with you. </p>
        </div>
        <div class="">
          <p>“I can’t-” he stuttered, “I need to go.” </p>
        </div>
        <div class="">
          <p>Before you could react, he was gone. </p>
        </div>
        <div class="">
          <p>Your shoulders slumped as you heard the door close. It took a moment to notice the hot tears gathering in your eyes as you swept bits of glass into a container, wiping them away with the back of your sleeve. </p>
          <p>---</p>
        </div>
        <div class="">
          <p>“Paladins, to your lions!”</p>
        </div>
        <div class="">
          <p>It was a whirlwind of excitement and adrenaline as Lance, Hunk, Keith, Pidge, and Allura rushed to their hangars, taking off from the castle at breakneck speeds. </p>
        </div>
        <div class="">
          <p>“Coran, do you think they stand a chance against Lotor? He’s always one step ahead of them.” You watched the lions flit around the screens in front of you, doing everything you could from within the castle to aid them. Lotor and his generals were more than capable enemies. </p>
        </div>
        <div class="">
          <p>“I can’t say for sure,” he said as he aimed a shot at Lotor’s ship, “but we’ll give them all the fight we’ve got.” </p>
        </div>
        <div class="">
          <p>You didn’t respond, you were too busy watching the black lion racing through the battle, taking down fighters but not quite moving fast enough. The paladins were shouting orders to each other, not quite agreeing on what to do, Keith rushing ahead to chase down Lotor. </p>
        </div>
        <div class="">
          <p>He went down quickly, not fast enough to escape a beam from Lotor’s warship. The other paladins swarmed around him, trying to protect him from any further damage. The fight ended quickly after that, Lotor fleeing after he managed to shake the team. </p>
        </div>
        <div class="">
          <p>---</p>
        </div>
        <div class="">
          <p>You tried to break into the crowd as the paladins rushed an unconscious Keith into a healing pod, but they pushed you aside. You didn’t take it personally, but you did want to see him. The others noticed you trying to keep it together, to hold back the tears prickling behind your eyes, and decide to leave you alone with Keith and the healing pods. Coran gives you a reassuring squeeze on the shoulder as the group leaves, the rest either keeping their heads ducked or taking one last glance at Keith. </p>
        </div>
        <div class="">
          <p>You didn’t notice that Allura had stayed back with you until she was standing by your side, looking at the deceptively peaceful image of Keith gently suspended in the pod. </p>
        </div>
        <div class="">
          <p>“I promise, we did everything we could to keep him safe,” she sighed, trailing her gaze to look at you. </p>
        </div>
        <div class="">
          <p>“I know, you did your best.” You began to sigh, but it stuttered into a quiet sob, and you caught yourself, trying to hide the intrusion. Wiping away your tears with your sleeve, you tried to regain your composure. </p>
        </div>
        <div class="">
          <p>“I can’t believe the last thing we did was fight.” </p>
        </div>
        <div class="">
          <p>Your shoulders began to shake gently as you unsuccessfully held back your tears. </p>
        </div>
        <div class="">
          <p>“I told him I loved him, too, and he just-” you held back another sob “-he just left.”</p>
        </div>
        <div class="">
          <p>At that point, all composure was lost. Allura pulled you into a tight hug as your tears began to flow freely into her supportive shoulder, comforting you as best as she could. </p>
        </div>
        <div class="">
          <p>She stayed with you for a while, until you were able to calm down. </p>
        </div>
        <div class="">
          <p>“Are you sure you don’t want me to walk you back to your room?” she questioned you, a fair brow raised. </p>
        </div>
        <div class="">
          <p>“I’m sure,” you said, sniffling a little, “I want to stay here, with him.” </p>
        </div>
        <div class="">
          <p>Allura nodded and gave you one last quick hug before departing, and with the dull metallic thud of the door sliding shut, you found yourself in front of the healing pod again, your hand pressed to it near his face. </p>
        </div>
        <div class="">
          <p>“I’m sorry,” you said quietly, gazing into the pod. Keith’s face was so serene, almost innocent-looking. You can’t remember ever seeing him at peace like this, and it scared you. You knew that Altean technology, albeit ten thousand years old, was so incredibly far ahead of Earth medical technology; you saw Lance make a full recovery when he was hurt in battle before. Coran predicted that Keith would make a full recovery, but no one knew how long it would take. The tears began flowing freely again as you watched him. </p>
        </div>
        <div class="">
          <p>“I’m sorry that we fought like that before you left. I’m sorry that I broke that glass and I’m sorry that I said I loved you at the stupidest time. We all miss Shiro but I know that no one misses him as much as you do…he’s like your brother. I couldn’t imagine losing a brother…I couldn’t imagine losing you.” </p>
        </div>
        <div class="">
          <p>You fell to your knees in front of the pod, sniffling and sobbing. </p>
        </div>
        <div class="">
          <p>“I love you, Keith, I love you so much, please- please wake up, I love you, I love you I love you-”</p>
        </div>
        <div class="">
          <p>You cried your confession over and over until I was nothing more than a senseless babble. </p>
        </div>
        <div class="">
          <p>---</p>
        </div>
        <div class="">
          <p>Allura peered into the healing pod room, her suspicions confirmed when she spotted you asleep next to Keith’s pod. Your eyes were red and swollen, contrasting your smooth and deep breathing. When you didn’t come to dinner that night, she had assumed you would still be in here. She was also correct in assuming that you’d want to stay. </p>
        </div>
        <div class="">
          <p>Walking into the dimly lit room, she quietly stood over you for a moment before laying a blanket over you. She knew you wouldn’t want to be moved. With one last concerned glance, she left you in the dark, quiet room. </p>
        </div>
      </div>
    </div>
  </div>
</div>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Kieth - Comfortable</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>7. As a thank you + 19. No space between us</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    
<p></p><div class="">
  <p>When the paladins returned from their latest mission, there wasn’t much pomp and circumstance. </p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>All five shuffled into the common area, looking a bit like death warmed over. It had been a rough mission, to say the least. It was obvious from the quintet of slumped shoulders and sullen gazes. </p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>You had stayed behind in the castle, aiding Coran with castle maintenance as you usually did. You didn’t want to admit how excited you were to see them all back in one piece, and you would never admit that you were looking forward to seeing one in particular. Despite your obvious excitement, you didn’t want to overwhelm them by bombarding them with questions, worrying over them like a mother hen. No, you would wait until he had some time to regroup, to gather his thoughts. Well, their thoughts. </p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>Coran patted you on the shoulder, breaking your train of thought and snapping you back into reality. </p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“I think you’ve waited long enough,” he said, a small grin barely visible under his moustache, “run along, now, go check on him.” </p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>You feigned ignorance, feeling a slight warmth spread across your cheeks. </p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” you replied, trying to sound nonchalant. You avoided his knowing gaze. “But…maybe Keith wouldn’t mind some company? I should go check on him.”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“That’s what I-” Coran began to interject, but you were already long gone. He smiled, twirling his moustache between two fingers.<em> It was about time you made a move</em>, he thought. </p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>---</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>
    <em>Knock, knock.</em>
  </p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“Not right now Lance, go away.” Keith didn’t even look up as he lazily shouted in the direction of the door. </p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“It’s me,” your muffled voice called behind the door. </p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“Oh, sorry, come in.”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>The door slid open, and you walked in quietly, holding a steaming cup of an Altean tea. Allura had suggested it for its soothing aroma. She had said that it was one of her few comforts from home in the middle of a war. If it was that relaxing for her, you figured it would probably help Keith relax a little, too. </p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“I brought you some tea. You seemed pretty beat when you got back so I figured this might help.”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>Keith nodded, motioning for you to come sit next to him on his small bed. You tried to keep your composure as your hand brushed his while handing him the drink. He shot you a warm, but tired smile before taking a tentative sip. </p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“I’m sorry if it’s too hot, I probably didn’t give it enough time to cool-”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“No, it’s perfect. It smells really nice, too.” </p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>You couldn’t help but smile as you watched him close his eyes and savor the smell of the tea, sitting there for a second or two just inhaling the steam. For a moment he looked calm, like whatever had been troubling him had gone away, just for a little bit. </p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>He sighed, looking up from the cup and staring absently at the wall. It seemed like his troubling thoughts had already returned. </p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“Keith,” your voice was low and calm, “are you alright? You seem kind of out of it.”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>He sighed again. “There’s just…a lot on my mind right now. The being Galra stuff. Whoever my mom was. Shiro telling me to pilot the Black Lion in his place. Shiro being missing…” he turned to look at you, but his eyes were distant. “It’s all a lot.”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>With that look he gave you, your heart broke just a little. In the moment, all you wanted in the entire universe was to take that worried look off of his face, to comfort him in whatever way you knew how. </p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“You know,” you began, head tilting off to one side slightly, “you remind me a lot of him. Of Shiro.”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>That seemed to break him out of his thoughts for a second. “Really?”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“Definitely. You want what’s best for everyone, and you’ll do whatever you have to, to achieve it. Even if it’s a little reckless,” you chuckled at that and he gave you a tired half smile, rolling his eyes. </p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“That’s not a Shiro trait,” he said.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“No, that’s a Keith thing,” you replied. “But you know he trusted you for a reason. He sees a lot of potential in you. I do, too.”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>That last part was not what you planned to say, but you meant it. It seemed to take him by surprise, too. Noticing a very faint flush rising to his cheeks, you felt emboldened and continued down the rabbit hole, the words practically falling out of your mouth now. </p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“I think you’re great, Keith. You’re strong and a talented fighter and pilot and you’re so honest and true to yourself, even though you’re figuring out who that is, and you always have been there for me during this crazy adventure and I want to be there for you because you’re defending the universe! You have such an important job! I know some Altean tea doesn’t actually fix anything but maybe it’ll help for a little bit and-”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>You were cut off from your tangent as Keith pulled you into a tight embrace that could only really be described as a bear hug. During your rant you never noticed him carefully setting down the tea. </p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“Sshhh.” He held you there for another second before releasing you. It seemed that at this point, he was too tired from the mission to care about holding back. “Stop saying nice things.” </p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“Sorry, I got a little carried away.” You felt so embarrassed by your emotional outburst, you were fully prepared to leave and try to purge your mind of the feeling. “I should go, I’m keeping you up.”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“No,” he held onto your hand as you stood up to leave. “I think you should stay here tonight. If you want.”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>They way he looked at you with those deep, violet eyes, you were helpless. There was no way that you were going to leave that room any time soon. Your heart seemed to skip a beat as he gently squeezed your hand, awaiting a response. </p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“I…yeah, okay.” You tried to hide your excitement, but the flush on your face was telling. He smiled and motioned for you to lay on the bed with him. </p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>---</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>You never thought you’d be able to say with absolute certainty that Keith Kogane was a certified cuddle monster. You agreed (without much hesitation) to stay the night in his room with him, and that meant you were curled up under his arm, head on his chest, his other arm around your waist. In no time there was barely any space between the two of you. It was so warm and comfortable, it just felt so right. You fit together like puzzle pieces, as cliche as it sounded. </p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>He was very close to falling asleep, as his breathing got incrementally slower. You weren’t far behind, soothed by the rhythmic rising and falling of his chest. </p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“Thank you for staying with me.” His breath tickled your nose. </p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“Thank you for asking me to.” </p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>He let out a soft chuckle, pulling you as close as he could, exhaling into your hair. </p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“I love you.”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>It was such a faint whisper, and you were almost too tired to be surprised by it. Before you could react, he had already fallen asleep. <em>Of course he’s asleep</em>, you thought. You would’ve rolled your eyes if they hadn’t been closed. Instead, you settled into his embrace, ready to be swept off into your own slumber. </p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“I love you, too.”</p>
</div>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. Shiro - A Farewell</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>This was written probably during when season 3 was out? It's very old, so some bits may seem pretty outdated.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>11. With a shuddering gasp + 35. As a goodbye</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    
<p></p><div class="">
  <p>He should have known better than to bring you along on this mission. When it came to the fight against the Galra, no mission was ever simple or safe. You had been begging him to be able to come along on a mission, just a small one, to show that you could be helpful. He had been training you for weeks in between missions. You had begged him for that, too; it was obvious that he had a very hard time telling you “no”. </p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>You had come far in your training. At first, you didn’t have any clue which end of a blaster to point at the bad guys, and now you were sparring the Paladins with ease, a feat that he attributed to your raw talent and drive to succeed. Your home was just as much at stake as Earth, you had so much to fight for. You wanted to fight to help support and protect him, as well. Over the time that he had been training you, he became a good friend, a respected leader. Shiro was also, though he had no idea, more to you than a friend. </p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>It began when the Paladins had rescued you from your recently Galra-occupied planet. Troops of sentries had marched on your home, looting it of its resources; mowing down any who opposed and enslaving those who survived. After being rescued, the Paladins planned an attempt to liberate your people, but you had to escape to survive. Shiro comforted you in those first few nights away from your planet as the team regrouped. </p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>As the weeks went on and preparations were made to free your planet, you got closer and closer to the Black Paladin. He told you about his time aboard the Galra ship, the routine mission to Kerberos gone awry. Eventually, he told you about his nightmares, too. You shared with him stories of your home planet and your family, and how terrifying it was when the Galra showed up and took over everything. You two could bond very much over that. What you didn’t quite manage to tell him was that you were falling for him, very hard and very fast. </p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>You went down fast. A blast went off and in a second you were on the ground. You couldn’t see through the thick smoke that surrounded you, or was your vision that blurred? Your hands reached out for something solid. A piercing ringing was the only thing you could hear, and you figured the blast must have damaged your hearing. As hard as you tried, you couldn’t move. You smelled the stench of burning flesh and tasted iron on your tongue. </p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>Strong hands picked you up, though you couldn’t really see them, and you like you were floating through the air. </p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“Shiro! Y/n took a hit!” </p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>Was that Hunk shouting? He must have been the one carrying you, you thought. </p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>Another shout rang out, garbled and shocked, and you instantly knew it was Shiro. Your vision was still blurry, but as it cleared you could make out his form sprinting towards where Hunk was placing you. It was then that you could begin to feel the pain blossoming from a deep wound in your side, the sting radiating with a prickly heat. </p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“Oh, oh geeze, <em>there’s so much blood</em>..”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>Poor Hunk, you thought. </p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>Shiro shouted your name as he raced to your side, his face panicked. You were bleeding out, and if you were going to survive this hit he didn’t have much time to get you back to the castle and into a healing pod. </p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“We need to get her back to the castle, <em>now,” </em>He barked, his voice sounding strained. </p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>You reached out your hand and caught his arm as he was turned away from you. He whipped around to face you, brows knotted and eyes wide. One look at your face and the sense of urgency intensified tenfold. You were pale, shaking in his arms, blood coating the torso of your armor and slowly dripping down one leg. Between the loss of blood and the now blistering pain, you were weak. </p>
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  <p>“Sh-Shiro,” you managed to gasp, your breathing labored and heavy. </p>
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  <p>“Not now, y/n, we need to get you back to the castle, we’re gonna get you healed, I promise you’ll be okay, I swear-”</p>
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  <p>“<em>Shiro.” </em></p>
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  <p>He stopped and looked at you mid-sentence, shocked at how calm and serene your eyes looked in comparison to your shaking body. </p>
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  <p>“Y/n, I-”</p>
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  <p>“Just…shut up for a s-second,” you sputtered. You were losing consciousness very quickly. He complied, but even through the fog creeping around the edge of your vision you could see that he was distraught. “I just,” you paused to take a wheezy breath, “just wanted to tell you-”</p>
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  <p>“<em>No, no, y/n, you can’t-</em>” You cut him off with a shuddering gasp, sputtering out your confession. </p>
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  <p>“<em>I love you.”</em></p>
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  <p>The last thing you could see before you slipped out of consciousness was Shiro’s face, contorted in a mixed expression of fear, grief, and immense pain. </p>
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  <p>---</p>
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  <p>The Paladins, Allura, and Coran gathered around a small stone mounted in the grass on a hill in a field of wildflowers. The rest of the funeral guests had long since left, off to grieve quietly. Your culture was not one to celebrate after a loss, especially not one this large. </p>
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  <p>Your modest headstone was one of many, your eulogy short and sweet. In a time of war, there are many losses. You were buried next to those members of your family that did not survive the Galra occupation of your planet and subsequent battle for liberation. </p>
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  <p>You never made it back to the castle after that fight. Everyone remembered you as brave, fighting alongside the defenders of the universe to liberate your people. No one wanted to think about your gruesome death. </p>
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  <p>Shiro couldn’t get it out of his head. He hadn’t slept since the battle, after watching you fade away in his arms. After you told him you loved him. </p>
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  <p>A faint breeze stirred the wildflowers in the field, sending a few fragile petals swirling into the sky. Each one of the Paladins took turns saying some kind of goodbye to you, recalling a fond memory. When Lance mentioned the story of how you almost destroyed the training deck the first time Shiro tried to train you, a sad chuckle bubbled up from each of them. A few more moments of tearful and bittersweet reflection went by, before they reluctantly agreed to move along. </p>
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  <p>“Shiro,” Allura called quietly, “I think we should get going now.” He remained standing by your grave, his face as smooth as stone. He had showed barely any emotion that day, looking stoic and collected. She frowned, concern painting her brow. </p>
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  <p>“You were closer to her than any of us.” </p>
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  <p>He sighed.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“I just need a few minutes alone. I’ll be there soon.” </p>
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  <p>Allura nodded and stepped towards Shiro, placing a caring hand on his shoulder.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“Don’t stay out here too long. She wouldn’t want you to mourn forever.” With that, she turned to leave him. He knew she was right. </p>
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  <p>Shiro knelt down next to your grave on one knee, reading the short inscription of your name on the head stone. Again, he sighed. He’d been doing a lot of that lately. </p>
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  <p>“I never got a chance to tell you before you…left,” he said quietly, looking into the headstone as though it were your face. He was picturing your eyes as you confessed to him, strangely calm although your body had been trembling. It took him a minute to gather the words he needed. </p>
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  <p>“Maybe it’s too late now and you can’t hear me but, in case you can?” He paused again, his throat tightening. </p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“<em>I love you, too.” </em>It came out as a quiet sob, hot tears stinging his eyes. He bit his lip in an attempt to stop the tears, to distract himself from the picture in his head of you, battered and bloody, telling him you loved him. He cursed himself for not telling you sooner. </p>
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  <p>“I love you, y/n.” </p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>He tried to say it this time how he would’ve said it had he been given the chance to do it again, with you still alive. With you there to hear it. Despite that, it still felt like a goodbye. </p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>As he stood and regained his composure, he took one last look at your grave, this time picturing you healthy, smiling. The memories warmed him, temporarily, enough to bring back that signature Takashi Shirogane smile that you had fallen for so quickly. </p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“I love you.” </p>
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